Chapter 325 — The Experiment (Part II)
Kimimaro's condition had likely already reached its boiling point.
Even though Uchiha Kei usually didn't pay him too much attention, he still saw the boy often.
After all, Kimimaro now lived in the Uchiha district—
not as a clan member, but because Kei himself had brought him here.
And since the Uchiha compound had opened up considerably in recent years,
the boy was never lonely.
In just half a month, he had even made a few friends.
Uchiha Tebiyaki and Uchiha Moegi treated him kindly.
Although the time spent together was still short,
and Kimimaro was naturally withdrawn,
their presence had started to thaw his icy personality.
Three-year-old children were simply too young—
even if this world's kids matured faster than the children Kei remembered from his previous life.
Their minds and memories were still limited.
Receiving genuine warmth—so unlike the harsh "love" of the Kaguya clan—
had begun melting the frost around his heart.
Kei remembered one day, returning from the Police Force,
and seeing Kimimaro playing with a group of Uchiha children.
That same day, Kei noticed something unusual—
the boy's chakra fluctuations were… different.
Perhaps it was a sign of reaching the critical point.
But Kei wasn't sure.
Only experiments—or time—could tell.
For now, he trusted Ayaka's approach, especially the experiment they were about to conduct.
---
"Kid, get yourself ready."
Once Kimimaro was brought in, Kei crouched before him, expression stern.
"This is good for you—
but it will hurt.
A lot.
I can't say how much.
But this is a metamorphosis you must undergo. Understand?"
"…I understand."
Kimimaro's voice was soft, but at least he answered.
Progress.
Probably the result of Kei knocking him on the head too many times;
the boy knew disobedience would end painfully.
Life in the Kaguya clan had been harsh—
but that life had no hope.
Compared to that, he preferred the present.
Still, he could not forget his mother.
Kei's words had left him uncertain, unsure whether to believe them.
But one thing Kimimaro did understand:
If he wanted the power to save his mother—
he had to become stronger.
Far stronger.
Half a month living here, new friends, a new environment—
his worldview had begun to shift.
He knew now:
A ninja needed strength to achieve their desires.
And Uchiha Kei—the cold older brother—
and Hyūga Ayaka—the sharp-tongued older sister—
were trying to give him that strength.
---
"Good. As long as you're prepared."
Kei gave him a reassuring nod before turning to Ayaka.
Ayaka was already waiting with a prepared syringe of serum.
Without hesitation, she began the injection.
Kei stepped back to stand beside Imai Kenta.
This kind of procedure was Ayaka's domain.
She was experienced—
and because this experiment was tied to her own fate,
her dedication would be even higher than usual.
"What do you think the outcome will be?"
Kenta still looked a bit weak from his earlier injection,
but he had clearly grown used to this level of discomfort.
"How would I know?" Kei shrugged.
"This whole experiment is based on a hypothesis.
We won't know the success rate until we see the results."
"I kinda hope that crazy woman succeeds," Kenta muttered, rubbing his arm.
"Otherwise, who knows when she'll drag us off to attack another hidden village again…"
"She won't.
At least not under the Fourth Hokage." Kei replied calmly.
"The war left too much darkness behind.
We finally have peace—maybe only temporarily, but it's still a period of recovery.
Of course, if someone causes trouble…
we won't just sit and watch."
He wasn't wrong.
Every major village was recovering.
But each had suffered differently.
Konoha was the worst off—having fought all four other great powers at one point or another.
Sunagakure was next,
then Kirigakure and Iwagakure,
with varying degrees of damage.
Only Kumogakure had minimal physical losses.
Though they had lost a Raikage, the material damage was minor—
which was precisely why they recovered fastest,
and in the original future became the strongest among the Five Great Villages.
But this time?
It might not go the same way.
With Minato at the helm—
not the aged, compromise-prone Third Hokage—
Kumo wouldn't find Konoha such easy prey.
"You're saying there'll be another conflict?" Kenta asked, frowning.
"Not now. But eventually?
It depends on who recovers fastest… and who becomes overconfident," Kei replied.
"If you ignore psychological losses and look only at military strength—
who lost the least in the war?"
Kenta blinked—then stiffened.
"…Kumogakure."
"Exactly."
Kenta fell silent at that.
He was a smart man—smart enough to realize Kei's words weren't baseless bluffs.
Whether Kei spoke from insight or something deeper,
his perspective was on a different level.
Kenta sighed inwardly.
The gap between them grew wider and wider…
strength, position, vision—
he lagged behind in all of it.
But he didn't despair.
If anything, it spurred him on.
A Senju would not willingly lose to a Uchiha.
---
Meanwhile, Kimimaro's body turned red, trembling violently.
His fingers dug into the armrests, knuckles white,
but he grit his teeth and refused to scream.
Ayaka's Byakugan stayed active the entire time.
She held a neutralizing serum in her other hand—
ready to intervene if his condition became fatal.
Minute by minute, the boy's endurance reached its breaking point.
Ayaka frowned deeply.
Kimimaro's cell fusion rate was high—
but the side effects were too severe,
and there was still no sign of awakening.
Failed?
Ayaka's heart tightened.
She exhaled softly, ready to neutralize the serum and stop the process—
"AAAHHH!"
Kimimaro suddenly let out a piercing scream.
In the next instant—
BLOOD BLOOMED—
and white bone spines burst violently from beneath his skin.
Now, Kei looked at the vial in Aya's hand with interest.
"This is the new serum? The one matched to you?"
"Yes.
I extracted the highest-quality cells from the boy,
then fused them with my own."
Ayaka nodded.
Her voice was calm—
but her eyes were burning with fanatic intensity.
The scene of Kimimaro awakening his kekkei genkai replayed vividly in their minds—
the terrifying explosion of bone.
Whether the Kaguya's awakening was always so brutal,
or their method was simply too extreme,
neither Kei nor Ayaka knew.
But the moment the serum activated Kimimaro's dormant genes—
his entire body erupted.
Dozens of razor-sharp white bone spikes shot outward,
piercing the metal experiment table like paper.
His own flesh was shredded in the process.
Blood poured down the protruding bone thorns.
The pain on his face had been unmistakable.
But after only a dozen seconds,
the bone spines fell away—
and his muscles and skin slowly began knitting together.
Slowly—too slowly.
He was too young,
and had no control at all over his kekkei genkai yet.
"Seems you did pretty well," Kei commented.
"How is he now?
His foster parents are worried sick."
Half a month without returning home would trouble anyone.
Kei had reassured them,
but even so, he didn't want this situation to escalate.
Especially not while Minato was keeping a close eye on the boy.
"His activation was successful.
And because it just awakened, his cell activity is extremely high.
Which means more than enough material for me."
Ayaka's tone was almost clinical.
"As for the boy himself—
he has nearly zero control.
Opening the kekkei genkai this young is a burden on his body."
"I see…" Kei frowned.
"A kekkei genkai activating too early…
could it lead to kekkai sickness?"
"Kekkai sickness?"
Aya blinked, then frowned in concentration.
"It's something we need to guard against.
But without clear data on the Kaguya's pathology,
I can't say anything definitive.
Still… there are countermeasures."
"Then we minimize his usage of the kekkei genkai for now.
I'll speak to Minato and warn him as well."
Kei nodded firmly.
In his memories, Kimimaro died because of kekkai sickness—
collapsing before Gaara even finished him.
Without that illness?
Kimimaro's potential and mindset
would've made him a terrifying force.
In fact, Kei believed
his potential wasn't much lower than Gaara's.
Gaara simply had a monstrous sand demon as a base kit.
Kimimaro had only his bones—
and whatever Orochimaru taught him.
But now, with Ayaka extracting his blood regularly,
and both their fates intertwined through the experiment—
there could be no room for mistakes.
If Hyūga Ayaka were to develop some unforeseen complication due to kekkai sickness,
then certain parts of Uchiha Kei's long-term plans would have to be rewritten from scratch.
After everything they had gone through—
the battles survived, the cooperation that had grown strangely comfortable—
Kei had no desire to start all over again with someone new.
Building rapport from zero was a waste of time he could not afford.
"Are you sure," Ayaka asked quietly, syringe in hand,
"that once we hand Kimimaro over to the Fourth Hokage,
I'll still be able to continue the experiments whenever necessary?"
She already knew what Kei's answer would be,
but she still wanted to hear it—
a confirmation she could anchor herself to.
"Kimimaro will be under Kakashi's care," Kei said calmly.
"That means he's effectively under the ANBU,
and through them, under the Fourth's supervision."
He continued:
"He'll live his life normally.
His training will be handled by ANBU.
When he's old enough, he'll attend the Academy to build bonds.
But no matter what—
he will continue living in the Uchiha compound."
"…I see."
Ayaka finally nodded, visibly relieved.
"Then I'll leave it all to you, Kei."
"I'll help you," Kei replied. "Don't worry."
Ayaka positioned the needle over her own vein.
Kei immediately spoke up:
"If anything feels wrong, I'll use the contingency treatment immediately."
"I know."
Ayaka nodded again.
Even though she had full confidence in her experiment,
she never skimped on safety measures.
Just as Kei had emergency protocols prepared for her experiments,
she now had matching countermeasures for herself.
She handed Kei a small pouch of specialized reagents—
antagonists designed to neutralize her own serum
should things go wrong.
Of course, Ayaka hoped she would never need them.
Needing them meant failure.
Taking a slow breath,
Ayaka slid the needle into her vein
and injected the serum she had distilled from Kimimaro's optimized cells.
As the last drops entered her bloodstream,
Kei activated his Sharingan,
watching every minute shift in her chakra.
At first, nothing happened.
But as moments trickled by,
Aya's face rapidly lost its color.
Sweat glistened on her forehead.
A feverish flush crept up her cheeks.
Kei frowned.
This was no mild reaction—
although still far better than what Imai Kenta had suffered.
Yet Ayaka's state was clearly unstable.
Kei stepped closer.
With his Sharingan, he saw her chakra fluctuate violently.
A wave of scorching heat radiated from her skin.
"You okay?" Kei asked, brows furrowed.
"Want me to neutralize the serum?"
"No… not yet…"
Aya's voice was trembling, weak—
but she still shook her head.
"This is… within my expectations.
I'm not as fragile as you think…"
"That's true. You're definitely not fragile."
Kei's voice was dry,
but he already held the antidote at the ready.
"I'll wait for your signal.
If you can't speak, give me a nod. Understand?"
"…Mm."
Ayaka took another shaky breath.
"…This hurts more than I expected.
Far more…"
Of course it hurts, Kei thought silently.
And this is still considered mild compared to some things I've heard of…
In another world, Kei remembered,
a certain "mask-wearing protagonist" had pushed himself even further—
injecting gene serums under catastrophic odds
just to survive Orochimaru's betrayal.
Compared to that insane metamorphosis,
Ayaka was still walking the safer, structured path Kei designed for her.
But pain was pain.
And hers was clearly tearing through her body.
He sighed faintly.
Freedom and life were the two things humans pursued most desperately—
and the price was always staggering.
But if it was your own choice,
then there was no such thing as losing out.
Ayaka had chosen this path.
Kei's job was to support her—
and make sure she didn't die walking it.
---
An hour passed.
A full, excruciating hour—
in which Ayaka made not a single sound.
She bit her lips hard enough to draw blood,
but never once gave Kei the signal to stop.
Only after sixty agonizing minutes
did her breathing finally ease
and her trembling begin to subside.
Kei brought over a nutrient drink,
helping her sip it slowly.
Her clothes were drenched—
as if she had been dragged through a storm.
"How do you feel?" Kei asked softly.
"…Good.
And horrible."
Her voice was thin, still shaking.
"The backlash was… intense.
I probably won't be able to move normally for several days…"
"That's fine. I'll keep an eye on you." Kei said.
"I'll be recording your data anyway.
Just focus on recovering.
But what did you mean by 'good'?"
Ayaka exhaled, the faintest hint of relief in her tone.
"The serum worked.
Just for a moment…
I felt something shift in my eyes.
Even the Caged Bird Seal loosened slightly…"
She shook her head, exhausted.
"The sensation was fleeting—
perhaps because this is only the first trial.
The dosage wasn't high enough."
"But still…"
She looked up at him, eyes shimmering faintly.
"Thank you, Kei.
It's faint…
but I've finally found a path.
A path toward freedom."